Soul Calibur V: The Four Warriors
by BlackInkedPen
Summary: Leixia, Xiba, Natsu and Maxi embark on the journey west guided by Leixia's blue pendant. They reach a trading village near the edge of China's border. There, their thrilling adventure awaits as characters from the past haunt them. Pls R&R.
1. Towards the Land of Fear & Adventure

_Author's Notes: Hello, readers! I've always wanted to do my own story of the four Soul Calibur warriors' tale of adventure. Join them in their thrilling experience as they embark west to ultimately do their part in the destruction of Soul Edge—an adventure filled with suspense, drama and humor. So buckle up and enjoy the ride._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Calibur. I'm merely a fan fiction writer and a fan._

**Chapter 1: Towards the Land of Fear and Adventure... And Romance**

"Stop!" a man bellowed from in the alley in between two houses as sprinting footsteps grew louder from in it. "Come back, lass!"

A man emerged suddenly from it, in brown suit and black armor, soaked with sweat and heavily panting. His eyes shifted wildly, sweeping from left to right, searching for the person he was after. He took of his helm and swept his forearm across his heavily drenched forehead. There was another row of houses in front of him with alleys in between them. Each has a door that faced him. People crowded from all directions carrying baskets and bags, or tugging donkeys or horses behind them. Some of the beasts pulled two-wheeled carts carrying various loads.

"That brat!" he yelled in frustration as he kicked the wall of the house. All he got was a faint thud as his foot shot with pain.

"Oww!" he yelled as he cursed once again, limping towards the house across the street. He was ignored by the people around him.

A sound of galloping hooves drew near him as people made way for three horses with riders. One of them approached the footsoldier.

"Did you find her sergeant? Where is she?"

"I-I'm sorry, Captain, sir. I lost her as I emerged from this alley. That girl is tricky as a fox."

The sergeant looked away in disgust and exhaled loudly.

"That is most... unpleasant. Continue with the search... And careful what you say about her. Afterall, she's the general's daughter. Carry on!"

The sergeant beckoned his men and jerked the reins of his horse as the three galloped on. Again, the footsoldier wiped his forehead with his forearm and put his helmet on. He briskly walked on, hoping to find the girl. From his side, a beggar wrapped in filthy cloak from head downwards approached him. A grimy hand nearly touched his uniform if not for a quick swat with the back side of his hand. Without looking at the impoverished person, he shooed:

"I'm sorry, granny! Don't have some money to spare," as he walked on without looking back.

A girlish voice giggled underneath the dirty cloak when the man was far away. When she tugged the cloak above her head back, a pretty young face emerged, radiant and smiling. The loops of ink black, braided hair bobbed on each side of her head as they popped out of the constraints of the dull colored cloth.

"Fooled ya!" she said with a laugh. She rolled the cloak on her belly and went to another alley, returning the cloak to a sleeping beggar.

"Thank you!" she called softly, not wanting to wake him up. She lightly ran through alley ways across streets and into alleys again passing by unnoticed by her hunters as she headed towards the exit of the city.

The summer sunlight streaked above her, striking her dainty skin as moisture peeped out through them. She gave no notice of them because the horizon in front of her offered her more excitement than she had throughout her fifteen years of life. It was her dream even as a child of this freedom that her mother spoke of through her young years. She had been enthralled by the exciting tales of adventure and of romance that her mother, Xianghua, had during her quest for the said evil sword, Soul Edge. Leixia pictured them in her mind during their bedtime stories with her younger brother, Leixin. She imagined herself wielding her own sword, defeating and vanquishing evil and meeting a handsome man to love for everlasting and telling her own set of stories to her would be children.

At first, she imagined doing her own adventure with her mother. Xianghua was her first teacher with the way of the sword and as a student, she imitated each of her moves. She mastered them all and aimed to be as good, if not better than her teacher.

"When I grow up, we'll see the world together, mother," she would say at that time and then her mother would agree.

"That's right, Leixia. You'll grow into a strong fighter and meet the boy of your dreams and you will live with him happily."

She didn't notice it at first but each time Xianghua said those words, Leixia noted the distant look her mother had on her face as if she was living again on those days of younger years with that mysterious man that gave profound happiness. Leixia never learned what happened to her mother's lost love and over time, the curiosity waned off, sprouting every once in a while but never really growing.

However, on her birthday today, Xianghua's reaction served as a catalyst to firm her resolve to fulfil her dream and make a step towards it—that very day.

It started when her younger brother came to her happily and gave her a gorgeous pendant with a blue stone at the center—her mother's favorite color, and was hers, too.

"Wow. This is so pretty! Thank you, brother! Where did you get it?" she exclaimed, holding the gift at eye level and inspecting it with interest.

"I found it in the garden. I kept it so that I could give it to you for your birthday," was the younger one's reply with a boyish grin.

"I love it. I'm sure mother would love it, too."

And she ran excitedly inside their massive house to show the newly acquired treasure to her mother. Much to her chagrin, her mother was at first furious then distressed upon seeing it as Leixia presented it to her proudly.

"Where did that come from?" she questioned her.

"From— from the garden," Leixia stammered, not wanting to expose her kid brother under her mother's stern anger.

"Why do you have it? I told them to dispose that far away from this house!"

Xianghua's near teary and shifty eyes and her grim expression terrified her. She didn't understand why. All she knew was that the reason for the upset of her parent was the blue pendant.

"Give it to me!" Xianghua demanded as she took a step towards her daughter. Leixia shook her head, backing one step while hiding the item behind her back.

"Young lady, give it to me!" her mother yelled, voice nearly breaking. The action shook the younger girl because she had never seen her mother in this state before. However, for some reason she could not explain, she found the item behind her back more enthralling than her mother's anger. She would risk being scolded at and punished for the object of conflict.

"Yan Leixia! I'm your mother and I order you to give that pendant to me right now!"

Leixia shook and in panic, scurried away. Xianghua ran after her, calling after her, but gave up shortly. Soon, the younger girl realized that her pursuer wasn't after her anymore. She turned and started to head to her father, Wujin, in the patio of their home to seek refuge from her fierce mother. As she was about to enter into the patio, she overheard Xianghua frantically speaking to him.

"Why is the Dvapara-Yuga in our residence? I told you to have your men dispose it far away from us! Now, Leixia has it! Husband, I'm scared—for her. I've known how it is to live a vagabond life for that mission and I know how very difficult it is. I don't want it for her. You know that. I don't want her to suffer as I have suffered. What do I do? I don't want her exposed to the outside world. Instead, I want her to become one of the emperor's wives."

Leixia could not hear anymore of her father's consolation for her mother. What her mother had said shattered her young heart. She would no longer be able to chase after her dreams. She would be like the other ladies in court doing 'proper' things and walking stiffly, laughing stiffly and eating stiffly. She would not be able to hold a sword again or meet the handsome man she was fated to meet.

Why? Why did her mother change so dramatically? It was because of the pendant—that was obvious. But, still, why? There must be something more about this pendant and the stories she had heard about her mother's quest than what was said to her. There was no point in asking her mother about the pendant. She would be grounded with it taken away from her should she face her. She would then be confined to her room and broken like a horse to learn to live as a courtesan.

She had to find out by herself. Silently, she slipped away and backtracked towards the back door of their house. As she passed by her mother's room, door slightly opened, she saw a familiar sword hanging on a weapon's rack. She grabbed it and escaped outside the mansion.

"I don't have much to go on, but I'll figure it out. After all, this is my destiny," she told herself as she exited the family's mansion. She would find out the mystery of the blue pendant and that of Xianghua's previous quest.

And ofcourse her mother's previous lover.

She would make an adventure for herself and vanquish all evil and meet her own handsome lover. All at once, the fear was replaced by excitement.

That was because beyond the horizon, there would be stories to tell her future children.

"Mama, I will make you proud," she declared.

-0-

It was not long before guards were summoned to search for the missing general's daughter. She narrowly evaded them if not for the pudgy foot soldier that saw her and gave chase to her through the alleys. Luckily, his legs were short and he was heavy and slow overall. She easily outran him. She blended in among the crowds not because of her clothes, which stood out among the peasants around her, but by her short stature causing her to be easily hidden among the thickness of the people. It was not long before she arrived near the gate of the city wall.

To her frustration, guards were already posted in a group of eight to sift the people going in and out of the city in search of her. Although an accomplished swordsman for her age, she judged it unwise to engage all of them at once. It would take time to defeat them all and by then, more guards would have been summoned and soon, she would be back to their house receiving reprimands from her parents. She would have to manage by outwitting them.

She observed the thickness of the people passing through the gate in two files as she hid beside a stall a good distance from the guards. There were also small beast drawn two-wheeled carts that carried light loads of trade like racks of eggs, firewood, and small sacks of flour or rice. There was no chance of her going undetected should she try to hide among the people who passed through the gate.

Incidentally, a horse-drawn two-wheeled cart stopped by the stall beside her. She inspected the content of the cart and to her delight, it was only hay. The cart had two-feet high wooden walls on all sides except for the rear. At the front, there was a platform for the driver's seat. While the driver was chatting with the owner of the stall, she slipped on the cart and hid under the hay pile, lying on her right side.

Soon, the cart jerked forward and she felt the bumpy movement of the car. Amidst the crevices created by the hay, she saw bits of her surroundings: the people walking by indifferently, the guards standing by the gate that ignored her vehicle, the abrupt shift from the city feel of her surroundings to a grassy plain one with a dirt road expanding behind.

When she was about a hundred yards from the gate, one of the wheels suddenly jolted upward in a violent manner as it struck a stone causing her to roll towards the rear end of the car, which had no wall, and fall face flat to the ground.

She forgot the pain of the fall immediately and froze in panic.

She wasn't sure whether she should remain unmoving or she should hide quickly among the tall grasses that bordered the dirt road until it was too late.

"Hey, look! It's the girl!" she heard from the direction of the gate. Immediately, footsteps—several of them—came running towards her. There was no time to think. She pushed herself up and sprinted away from her pursuers.

About half a mile on her right was a river while beyond in front and on her left was a forest thick with temperate trees. She ran through the dry dirt road, feeling the dirt scatter behind her in time with her footsteps. The mid-day sun stung her skin causing her to feel the heat of her body intensify all the more. Following her were the shouts of several men calling her to stop. They caused her to run harder.

Soon, the road led her to the forest and slanted towards the river. She quickly passed by the entrance of the forest, feeling the abrupt change of the atmosphere from the searing rays of the sun and hot ground below to the cool gusts of winds brought by the shades of the leaves of the deciduous forest. The trail continued but the ground was rougher. Instead of dry and dusty earth below, the forest floor was damp and uneven, with roots crawling from all direction causing her to nearly trip onto some.

About some distance in the forest, she came to a wide river bank on the right. She decided to stop there and make a stand. She could not go on running the rest of the time. Soon, she would have no breath or strength in her legs to continue on.

As she stopped and walked towards the bank of the broad river, the men also stopped. She recognized all eight of the men as she did most of her father's soldiers. Countless times, she had come with her father during the inspections of his men. There was nothing else to do during those events and so, she made it a past time to study their faces.

"Leixia! Your father sent us to bring you back. Stop running," one of the men said to her. He was the most familiar face among them: a lean soldier with a distinct uniform, different from the men hinting his higher status. Wudao was his name. He was an educated man who became a soldier and rose in rank to be one of her father's officers. He was a strict man and very proud and particular about manners and social etiquette. He openly talked against Leixia's training with the sword and showed cold disdain upon her. He always treated her as a spoiled and rude child. It was because of her love for her father that she resisted every sweet temptation to play the most devious and cruel pranks on him. Among her close friends, she called him Captain Long Face.

It was a very unexpected coincidence that here he was as one of her pursuers. Knowing that his rank was more because of his education and connections with the higher ranks, she sensed that she surpassed his sword fighting skills. He had spent more time greasing his path to promotion rather than honing his way of the sword. She, however, spent her childhood practicing and training with her mother.

Unceremoniously, she drew her sword. Instinctively, all the men who surrounded her did the same.

"What is the meaning of this, you spoiled brat? Don't you realize that I am sent by your father," the self-important man harshly spoke. "You will put down your sword and come with us or your father shall know of this and punish you severely. I will see to it that he does!"

Her face tensed in her annoyance with him. She detected that his speech was out of pure pompous display but she knew also that should she give in to his emotional harassment and let out the expected burst of anger, she would fail.

"I challenge you," she said with solemnity.

"What! What did you say? How dare you, child!"

The word 'child' pricked on her ears like a thorn and stirred out the irritation out of her. She was not able to think as she raised her voice a little louder this time.

"By the honor of my father's guards, I challenge you to a sword duel, Captain Long Face—" the words slipped her mouth unexpectedly that her mind went blank in panic as she tried to correct herself unsuccessfully. "I mean, Captain... Uh... Captain... Er...—"

Helplessly, she slapped her hand on her mouth and stuck it there. As she lifted her gaze towards the captain, she let out a surprised gasp when she realized his tomato red face and his gnashing teeth.

"Your challenge is accepted, you insolent child! Guards! Withdraw your swords. This is to be a battle of honor between this amateur and the captain!"

As they obeyed his orders, he took off his armor and drew his own weapon, a finely crafted slender sword with long flowing tassels beneath the handle. It shimmered under the rays of the sun as he waved them, the tassels flowing like the grass against the wind.

"Child, I shall teach you a lesson."

"All right. I'm ready. Let's fight," she replied as she took her stance. She stood by waiting for his attack. Realizing that she was waiting for him, he took the initiative. With a yell, he ran towards her. He stabbed his sword forward, and missing as she dodged him, he thrust his sword to her right then to her left then to her right then over and over again. Hitting air in every move, he furiously raised his sword high and swung it down with all his strength. She met his strike with her sword with a loud clang and parried it so that he staggered forward as she spun around him. She walked back a few steps to gain distance from him.

"I won't lose, you know," she said decidedly, meeting his beast-like furious eyes.

"I shall ground you to powder!"

Again, with a yell, he charged to her swinging left and right and low and high, in mixed combinations. Spinning a strike. Stabbing at her mid-section. Each of the blows were either dodged or parried or blocked, increasing his fury all the more. The men surrounding them scattered as Leixia continued to step back towards them in evasion. Finally, as she took a quick side-step, Wudao's sword was stuck to a tree. As he struggled to free it, she kicked him at the back of his knee causing him to stumble and smack his face to the tree trunk.

She giggled as he did so

"Arrrgh!" he growled incomprehensibly like a hungry dog as he planted a foot to the tree and gave it his all to pull his wedged sword.

Atlast! He pulled it free but it caused him to stagger backwards and fell on his buttock, arms extended forward, still grasping the sword.

Leixia could not contain herself anymore and let out a high pitched laughter as she doubled over and wrapped her arms on her belly. The guards all around were covering their faces and struggling to keep their laughter out. Some were already trembling in silent giggles.

Wudao glared at them ferociously, causing them to snap out of their merriment.

"Don't you dare laugh!" he warned before he turned to the girl, pointing a finger at her. "Your fun and games are over. You have shamed me past the limit. But it ends now!"

Again their melee resumed. As they did so, she took the offensive this time. She took out on him her own set of strikes from all directions, mixing it to confuse him. He took backward steps as he was forced by her. Several times, he staggered and almost lost his balance. Soon, he was almost besides the river. A few more steps and he would have fallen in its depths.

"Just as I thought," she said to herself. "Poor balance mixed with his poor discipline in his moves is his weakness."

She struck again and they went into a sword lock. She could feel her arms trembling as she tried to fight off his powerful push. She was at a great disadvantage with him being bigger and stronger than her. She looked at his feet and noted the instability of their position on the ground. Taking advantage of it, she kicked one of his legs causing it to slide away from the other and making him stumble and almost fall. As he went off-balanced, she took a step forward, jumped, and spin-kicked him on the chest, putting all her power on her foot. The power of her strike was not at all to injure or to cause pain but to throw her opponent backwards.

Wudao flew, as she expected to, several yards into the deep river with a loud splash.

"Ring out!" she yelled as she danced in victory, whooping as she punched upwards. "Whoa! So cool!"

Wudao's face resurfaced out of the peaceful river. "Help!" he yelped as he swallowed and coughed gulps of water. "I can't swim! Save me!"

The guards panicked and were initially frozen stiff. Suddenly, one of the guards, without taking off his heavy armor, jumped and plunged into the deep river water.

After his splashing sound, the water gurgled and bubbled.

He never resurfaced...

The guards stood by looking at him a few more seconds before realizing what had happened to him. They panicked all the more and hastily pulled off their armor and jumped all together into the water. Initially, Leixia was amused by the turn of events. However, as it went to the worse she grew concerned for them—even for Wudao. However, she also knew that if she should help them, they would still force her back to her father's house. Hence, she fled the scene as she wished them safety.

-0-

It was not long before she arrived near the harbour and she was engulfed by the busy scene of people walking or running to and fro, carrying crates and boxes to and from the ship. Amidst the buildings and warehouses was a path that led to a wharf that extended onwards and divided horizontally before it broke off into several branches where the ships docked. She went to the ninth dock where a two masted _chuan_ ship was on standby.

The ship was small compared to others beside it with a length of a little over one hundred feet holding a crew of fifteen. At the rear end of the ship was painted some bold black Chinese characters: Fenhong Nulang, or Pink Lady. True enough, the ship was painted bright pink all over.

An irritated looking man stood by the ramp that led to the ship, wearing a white vest and trousers and black leather boots. His attire was a mix of eastern and western culture. What was particular about him was his hair: although black like most of his race, his bangs were twisted to one side while his side burns reached to his jaws.

Upon spotting Leixia, he snapped to attention and bent his head low.

"The ship is ready to go, Captain."

"Well done, my faithful adviser," Leixia said without returning the bow. "Where's Natsu?"

"Your bodyguard is checking the perimeter for assassins that might attack you, madam."

Behind her, the sound of boots walking along the wooden wharf came closer to them.

"Captain, none of those following you are spotted nearby," said an alto female voice. As both turned towards the newcomer, they saw a young woman, about sixteen years old with large eyes and strawberry blond hair tied with several ponytails at the back reminiscing the legendary nine-tailed fox. She wore a scarlet skin-tight long sleeves and tights.

"Very well, Natsu, you may go ahead on the ship."

Natsu bowed courteously before crossing the ramp that led to the ship. Leixia, again, turned to her adviser.

"Maxi, how are the stocks of our food for this journey?"

Maxi produced a flimsy from his pocket and traced his hands across it.

"We're good," he said with certainty. "As long as Xiba doesn't get his hands on the—"

A scream was heard from inside the ship. Both knew where it came from: the kitchen. Both scrambled to the deck and into the kitchen. Inside was the fainted female cook, sprawled to the wooden kitchen floor and a bare footed, wild-haired boy holding steamed buns on both hands, each carved with his bites. Flour was scattered everywhere and the basket of already made fresh steamed buns was desecrated by his meddling. He sat on the floor in front of five more of his delicacies waiting their turn to be his meal.

Leixia could not contain her annoyance and she reprimanded him sternly.

"Xiba, I thought we've agreed that you would have only three steamed buns per day since we are going to ration our food. What are you doing now!"

Xiba, with his mouth full of his food, replied in a muffled voice amidst forced bites and swallows.

"Mmm. Show hungr. Ssshhteam buunsss. Ssshhteam buunsss. Ssshhteam buunsss. Ssshhteam buunsss. Ssshhteam buunsss. Ssshhteam buunsss."

"Stop it! I said stop it!" she yelled back as he went on chanting the name of the food in a rapid manner.

"Ssshhteam buunsss. Ssshhteam buunsss. Ssshhteam buunsss. Steamed buns. Steamed buns. Steamed buns. Steamed buns. Steamed buns. Steamed buns. Steamed buns. Steamed buns. Steamed buns..."

-0-

"Steamed buns, steamed buns, steamed buns..."

Leixia was awakened by Xiba's chanting his favorite food. They were at the edge of the forest, about five miles from the nearest town. She blinked seeing the top leaves of the tree gazing down upon her and surveyed her surroundings. Maxi was gone while Natsu was beside her, lying down with her head buried beneath a small bright red pillow, pressed down hard on her ears.

"Steamed buns, steamed buns, steamed buns—"

"Xiba, quit it! You just ruined my most wonderful dream!" Leixia scolded at him, sitting up and putting her hands on her waist as she glared at him.

The hungry boy turned to her and gave her the most piteous look which unsurprisingly didn't get the effect he had wanted.

"I'm so hungry," he said weakly, voice so thin like a person dying of old age. "I haven't eaten since last night! I just can't stop thinking of—"

"D-d-don't say it! I know! I can't stand to hear more of the word—"

"Steamed buns. Steamed buns!" he wailed in wheezy manner.

Leixia smacked her hand on her face and blew the hair strands on her face.

From the slope of a hill between them and the town, Maxi appeared and jogged steadily towards them. When he was atlast among them, he cheerfully greeted them.

"Good morning, kids! The next town is just a few hours away. Let us rise and shine and pack up because we'll be staying in inns with beds and dining in tables with—"

"—steamed buns!" Xiba interrupted.

"—as our food," Maxi continued after Xiba's interruption. "So, Natsu! Get up! You too, Leixia!"

Natsu sat up on her blanket, yawned while covering her mouth, and stretched like a lazy cat. Her eyes were half open from somnolence.

"You look like you had a terrible night," Leixia commented.

"Naw!" she replied gruffly. "It's just that he ruined my beauty sleep."

"Oh, yes, I understand you."

Both girls packed up their things. Seeing that the whining boy was too hungry to even pack his things, the girls, with much annoyance did his, too.

Soon the group was up and hiking towards the nearest village with Xiba dragging behind them.

"Hurry up, Xiba!" Leixia called.

"I can't walk anymore... Too hungry... Natsu—"

"—Nope! Not in the mood. Go bug someone else, Xiba!"

"Leixia, could you please carry me on your back?"

"What! Give me a break!"

-0-

_To be continued..._

-0-

_Post-Notes: Please leave a review or comment. They are greatly appreciated. Thank you! :D _


	2. The First Glimpse of the Dark

_A/N: I'm sorry for the very long delay. More than one month. I've been planning to write and release this chapter the week after chapter one's release but I was covered up with my busy schedule. Well, enough of my alibis. Here it goes. I hope you're all still with me 'coz the excitement is not yet over._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Calibur. I'm merely a fan fiction writer and a fan._

**Chapter 2: The First Glimpse of the Dark**

"Woooooow!" Leixia gasped, wide-eyed and jaw dropped, as she stared at the town they were entering.

Behind the entrance of the town were packs of people like ants on a left over bread during summer season. Rows after rows of buildings and houses ran through its lengths and widths. Shops after shops layered its entrance greeting the new comers and enticing them with their colourful trade.

"It had grown much larger than the last time I had been here. Being one of the melting pots of trade in this country, I would not be surprised. Beyond this is the road to India and here is where the two nations trade. So expect lots of good inns and shops in here," Maxi said informatively as he pointed at the town's entrance.

"Zh- Zhe... Z-Zh... Zhen-Ma—" Xiba strained as he tried to read the sign board that introduced the town's name.

"Zhen Maoyi!" Leixia helped as she continued excitedly. "It's almost half as big as our city in Beijing but more fun. Look at those trinkets in those shops. Natsu! This is going to be fun!"

Natsu nodded silently but vigorously, as wide-eyed and excited as she was, staring intently at the various items from the shops closest to the entrance held in display, coveting each of the pretty items.

"If there is good food in here, this town is going to be my favorite!" Xiba interjected.

"You say that to every town!" Leixia glared at him.

"Well, this one is different. This one will be special."

"Yeah, exact line as before."

"Have I said to the other ones that I've got a feeling this would be the best town I will spend my next few days."

"M-hmm. Yep!"

Xiba sighed and slumped. Maxi patted him at the back.

"Don't worry," he comforted the younger boy as he ruffled his hair. "It's good to know, anyway, that you're enjoying each town we stay in."

"Well, each town has steamed buns with different flavours and tastes. That itself is exciting about going through the different towns."

Natsu looked at him strangely while Leixia interjected.

"What? They're all the same to me if they don't put any fillings inside them. What are you saying?"

"The town before this had the softest, sweet buns. Before that, that town had the sweetest, soft buns. Previous to that, they had steamed buns that had sweetness in between the two, but softness bordering on chewiness which was somewhat soft but kind of hard to break down between the teeth. But the buns of the town before that had a peculiar aroma in it, resembling the fragrance of sweet grass but all the while delicious anyhow. But the buns from the place five towns before this was—"

Natsu stuck her palm on his mouth to prevent him from speaking further.

"You're impossible!" Leixia gasped helplessly as Maxi shook his head in amusement.

"Let's just go explore the town and find a place to eat before he goes chanting: 'buns, buns, buns' again," Maxi suggested.

-0-

"So as the boy chants: 'buns, buns, buns', the girls go chanting: 'trinkets, trinkets, trinkets.' Fine. Do what you want?" Maxi waved helplessly at no one as soon as the group got a few yards inside the town. Natsu and Leixia got carried away with their excitement and got swallowed immediately by the crowd as they pushed their way to the stalls with colorful items in display, leaving Maxi and Xiba behind. "Just don't get lost... Now, Xiba... Xiba...? Hey, where are you?"

He looked around, hands on his waist as he stared around, looking for the missing boy amidst the thickness of the crowd.

-0-

The streets were packed with people—a common element in this particular place filled with stalls and shops on both sides. This picture stretched for more than a mile. Various commodities went on display ranging from exotic fruits, to sweet smelling cakes, to steaming meals, tea, herbs, bitter medicines, clothes and accessories, jewelry, weapons, tools and others that didn't fit in any of these categories. Services were also advertised at the entrances of various shops like massage, sharpening of tools and weapons, repair of shoes and clothes, and others. Inspite of the mid-day heat of the late spring season, the people lined up shoulder to shoulder, front side nearly touching the back side of another person, persevering through the hot environment intensified by their body heat and the noise they emitted. Truly, this was no place for the sickly and the frail. The elderly would have fainted here. The children would disappear never to be found again for the time being once gobbled up by the crowd. The only way to escape this maw-like place was to take the side streets that paralleled it.

Peddlers and stall or shop owners yelled left and right, trying to entice somebody to buy their products. One of them sprang up with life as he caught the attention of two young ladies that stared at his stall, tip toeing behind the crowds to get a better look at his goods that hung all about.

"Come on, come on you young ladies!" he called as he motioned them with his hands. "Trinkets to shawls, hats to jewelries! They come from various places like India, Africa, and places you have never heard of. Truly exotic! But truly beautiful to behold!"

The two girls quickened their pace towards him and soon, the figure of a short but slender girl with black braided hair popped out of the crowd followed by a taller but equally slender blonde-haired girl clad in red skin-tight long sleeves and trousers. The peddler marvelled at the latter and thought her to be someone from a distant land that people talked about where people with strangely colored hair and pale eyes lived. When he heard her speaking to her friend in their native language, he marvelled even more. Though, being a merchant first and then a curious person next, he spoke to them in a business-like manner and immediately forgot his interest on her.

"What piqued the interests of my lady customers? For such pretty lassies, I'm giving discounts to the item of your choice."

"You hear that Natsu? He's giving us discounts. What luck for us!" said the younger looking girl, her already bright eyes all the more sparkling with pleasure.

"Those items look really exotic. I haven't seen designs like those," Natsu said excitedly. Immediately, her eyes focused on a glossy, rich, dark gray stone pendant with nine round transparent stones surrounding the larger one resembling the drawing of a sun's rays. At its bottom was another small dark gray stone hanging on a tiny metallic ring.

"You like this, don't you?" the peddler offered. "It imitates the paleness of your eyes and accentuates the gold color of your hair. It suits you well."

Natsu blushed and averted her eyes, not expecting the compliment. She was unable, though, to conceal a smile she would have preferred to be hidden.

"Uh, so it does. I just thought it was... uh... pretty."

"Oh, you're so modest!" he cheerfully replied. "But those eyes and hair are truly exotic. Tell me, are from the west?"

Surprised, her eyes momentarily widened but she resumed her composure. "Uh, no. Not at all."

"Then, are you a daughter of one?"

"Neither. Oh, look, Leixia. That stall next to this looks interesting, too!" she said, nudging at her companion who was also busy inspecting the oddities of the stall.

"You're not taking it? You're not even going to try putting it on your neck? I could easily put the string of your choice on it so you could wear it in no time."

"No, mister. Thank you anyway."

"Are you sure? My merchant's instinct tells me that not only do you want to try it but you want to keep it as well."

"Natsu, why are you so hesitant? It's just trying it on," Leixia said.

"Go on. Like your friend says: it's just trying it on," he added.

"Alright," said Natsu. Uneasily, she took the stringed stone from the merchant's hands and slipped the necklace around her neck. The stone glistened with the sunshine and shined like her face as her mood which altered immediately.

"See, Natsu. It looks perfect on you. You look beautiful."

The blonde girl only smiled at her friend in reply as she caressed the stones with her thumb.

"So, are you going to take it, missy?"

Leixia immediately replied. "How much is it? With the discount?"

The peddler laughed and said to her. "Ofcourse I won't forget my discount. A promise is a promise especially to two beautiful young ladies. Here let me compute just a bit."

He took an abacus and shifted its beads to and fro, murmuring to himself. When he was finished, he told them the price.

"It's still costly inspite of the discount..." Natsu started.

"No, here. I'll pay it," Leixia quickly said as she took from her purse some _taels _of silver.

"No, its alright. I don't need it anyway—"

"—Ssshh!" the shorter girl interrupted. She turned to the peddler and smiled sweetly. "Here mister and thank you."

As they turned away and walked to another stall, Natsu had her eyebrows knitted together.

"Where did you get all those money? You seem to be not falling short of those even through the length of our travel."

"Oh, that. Well, you know that my parents give me _taels_ as allowances every week. I never really get to spend them since I'm restricted within the palace grounds. And I never wanted to explore the marketplace of that area with all those guards escorting me wherever I go. Atleast, now, we could use it whenever we need it."

"But it's not like I needed it. I just thought it was pretty."

"But you seemed to like it very much. It was just like what the peddler said. It's not everyday that I see you wanting something very much. Though it was a bit pricey, with the discount, it was not so much. Just think of it as a gift from me because you're my friend and my protector."

Natsu chuckled as she tried to suppress her smile. "If you're like that to everyone, you will lose all your money."

Now it was Leixia's turn to laugh. "You're really funny. This is different. I know you really liked it. Why do you like it anyway?"

"It reminds me of home, that's all. I used to see a stone similar to this one at the center," she replied, indicating the greyish center stone. "as a necklace worn by the one who adopted me."

"Master Taki?"

"No. She was often away; it was someone else. Chie is her name."

"Oh. Is she nice?"

"She was caring and gentle even though most of the clan hated me."

Suddenly, someone stood in front of them wearing a dragonmask, startling the two.

"Ho!" he said in a deep but boyish voice.

Leixia nervously stepped back in an instant, her eyes staring down in fear. As she did so, she recognized the grimy, tattered yellow pants and the equally grimy bare feet of the person. She stepped forward and grabbed the mask.

"Xiba!" she yelled irritatedly. "That was not funny!"

"That was not cool!" said Natsu, arms crossed.

Xiba laughed like a monkey, doubling over in the process. "Come on! You are so serious, both of you! Cheer up."

"Still not cool!" Natsu said, face hardened.

"Why are you here anyway? Shouldn't you be searching for food since you had been chanting 'buns, buns, buns' all the way to this town?"

"I've found something more interesting and which lasts longer. Come with me!"

The two girls looked at each other in puzzlement but followed the energetic boy anyway. When all three of them were in front of another stall, Xiba presented them his items of interest with much pride.

"Since in our travels I often get hungry and since a lot of those times we don't have food at the moment, I'll have these. I just thought that food doesn't last very long after I eat them. And so, I need something that lasts longer: whenever I get hungry, I'll just have to look at them and I will feel less hungry afterwards."

"Huh?" both said nasally.

"I can't keep them all; I have to choose only one among the three of them. I need your help, guys, so I could pick the best."

Leixia squinted at the three objects and gave Xiba a quizzical look. "What are those anyway? They just look like wooden figurines to me."

"Not just wooden figurines," he said as he started to point at the objects one after the other. "They are: steamed buns, my most favorite food; chicken meat, my most favorite meat; and pork, my most favorite non-bird meat."

Natsu couldn't stop herself from laughing out loud. "You're kidding us! That's a yinyang, a carved figure of an eagle and a wooden dog. How do they remind you of food?"

Xiba shrugged. "All it takes are some bits of imagination."

"You're impossible!" Leixia exhaled.

"Well. So... What do you think? Which is the best among them?"

After Natsu had calmed down and had stopped laughing, she stared long and hard at each of them and gave her verdict.

"Since you don't really care about yinyang and since a dog is just a pet, I think the eagle suits you best because it can be you later on."

"Thanks!" Xiba beamed and went to the store owner to buy his chicken meat.

-0-

After hours of searching, Maxi was able to find the three again and through some trickery involving the false promise of a better marketplace with even better goodies, he was able to drag them off from the market street. It would have meant the whole day for them to pass through or else he would have to tie blinkers beside their eyes to keep them walking straight and without distraction. He bore their whines and pleas to return to the marketplace by mentally putting a plug on both of his ears which almost had no effect on him. They had their first meal past noon. Soon, they were also able to rent a place to stay for a day. They rented two rooms, one for each gender.

When all were already settled in their rooms, Maxi heard a knock on their door from outside. He got up from his bed, saw Xiba picking his grimy toes, shook his head at the sight and proceeded towards the door.

When he opened it, the sweet smiling faces of the two girls met his gaze.

"Your smile tells me that you want something: the marketplace?"

"Please-please-please-please-please!" Leixia said in succession. "We haven't even explored half of it. There's still so much to see. I can't leave this place without reaching the end of the marketplace. And I still haven't bought anything from it."

"Please, Maxi!" Natsu said with a pouty face. "I just saw this magnificent skirt which I haven't seen either here or my home country. I was just about to touch it when you took us away from it. I can't fall asleep until I got a better look at it. You have to let us go back."

"Why do I feel like I'm your mother when you ask me permission?" Maxi sighed. "Both of you sounds so desperate as if it's the end of the world. Yeah! Sure, go! Just stop bugging me and let me be."

Both girls cheered.

Maxi shook his head as he caught the glow of their celebration. "Girls and their shopping," he muttered.

"Just be back soon after dark, which means hours before mid-night," he emphasized.

Both girls gave a half-hearted grunt of agreement.

"And try to avoid fighting anybody. Don't attract anybody's attention. Don't make people suspicious of you, which you probably bear the look of. Don't go to dark alleys. Don't go with anybody that is suspicious looking. Don't even talk to people who look suspicious."

"You sound just like my mother," Leixia remarked.

"Yeah, and I most certainly feel like one. In fact, I feel like a single mother trying to keep together three nice, little whining children."

"We're not whiny," Natsu countered.

"Haha. Just kidding! Just try to avoid fighting anybody. Don't attract anybody's attention. Don't make people suspicious of you, which—"

"Yes, yes!" Leixia laughed. "You just told us that."

"We will obey, mother," Natsu said half jokingly.

Maxi chuckled. "I know. I just want to let you experience the feeling of being nagged. You're lucky it's just me and not three against one."

Both girls made funny faces.

"So, go and be safe."

"Woohoo!" Xiba yelled as he shot straight through them, carrying his bo staff.

"You, too, Xiba," Maxi waved half-heartedly at the boy no longer there.

-0-

Around late in the afternoon, Maxi exited his room and went down to the pub below the sleeping quarters. As he entered the place from the hallway at the back of the building, the reddish rays of the sun crept through the pub's opened doors and windows. Few people occupied this place at this time of the day. It was no wonder that the place was quiet except for the sound of the innkeeper sweeping the floor and wiping dust from the small wooden wine jars that stood like army men on the shelves. Maxi took a stool at the counter in front of the bartender and sat half turned to the doorway. The bartender offered him a drink but he declined.

"Naw. Just waiting for a bunch of guys to return."

"In that case, my good sir, you might be more comfortable at the tables so that you could sit facing the doorway more comfortably."

Maxi was escorted to a table near the center of the pub which gave him a good view of the people coming and going through the doorway. Not long after he sat on his stool, a lady with pale and dainty skin sat opposite him. He first noticed her presence and then her faint, sweet perfume that seeped pleasantly through his nostrils. When he lifted his gaze upon her, he was stricken by her beauty. The flow of her hair along her oval head accentuated her expressive eyes and her deep red, silken robe called attention to his eyes. In his years as a philanderer, he had not met anybody who struck him as she did. Her lovely features were faultless to the point of being unearthly.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken, miss. I did not call for company."

"Maxi, you wound me," said the woman, pain crossing her face, which appeared lovelier inpite of her grimace. He noted that whatever expression she put on her face, she grew even more beautiful on each.

Maxi cleared his throat, guilt rising in him. He was not sure who this woman was or if he had met her in the past or if he had spent time with her and left her as he did to so many others. He was torn because at the same time, he did not want to get involved with whatever this woman desired. He had a mission to the youngsters that accompanied him—especially to Xiba. The urgency of his calling that led him to his position as mentor to the boy remained clear and fresh as if it was yesterday when he was given his task...

For years he was a prisoner to a fragment of the evil sword, Soul Edge, which lodged inside his flesh. It filled him with insatiable hunger for revenge on an old nemesis, a golem named Astaroth, even after killing him and avenging his crew who suffered death through the golem. It was when he met an old hermit, who was only known as the Edge Master, was he freed from this bondage. This Edge Master taught him to live with the fragment and suppress its influence upon him. He was cured eventually and his old jovial nature returned. During those times, he was approached by this hermit friend and told about the danger on the life of his best friend and former travelling companion, Kilik. The only way to save him, as was told by the Edge Master, was to hand over Kilik's weapon, the Kali Yuga, to Xiba. Knowing the gravity of the situation, Maxi volunteered to train the boy and make him a strong wielder of the mystical weapon. Although not knowing much about the mission and the exact details on how to save his best friend, Maxi had given his all for his role. He had given up much including his previous life of pleasure in wine and ladies.

"I'm sorry, miss. I don't remember having met you before. Perhaps you mistook me for someone else."

"I was expecting that line, Maxi," the pain in her face intensified. "It's me, Shu Qian. I know you remember me. We met three years ago in this place. We watched the fire works together that New Year eve. You said you love me and that you've found in me what you did not in all the world."

A pang of even deeper guilt hit him. He could not remember how many times he had used that line on so many women—more than half of the time, it was truth. Because of so many that he had romanced, he often could not remember the names or even the faces of most ladies he had been with. That was the life of his past that he had decided to leave behind when he undertook his mission. Before, he felt he could easily detach his emotions even with the drama that these girls tried to put on to hook him in. However, he could not explain why now he felt himself buried with remorse and pity for this woman.

However, inspite of what he felt, he knew that he could not stay with her or even linger a few moments with her because he knew that such moment was enough to awaken his desire and turn him away from his mission. Even though painful, harsh and cruel he had no choice but to cut off ties with her.

Immediately.

"I'm sorry, miss. I don't really remember you. It's just as I told you: you mistook me for someone else. I'm sorry—"

"I believed you! I believed every word you said to me: how you loved me; how you want to be with me every moment of your life; how, since the day you met me, you think about me all the time. I kept them. I kept them in my heart..." Shu Qian said, voice quivering but maintaining control over herself. Although her voice rang through the pub because of the intensity of her emotions, no tears spilled on her cheeks nor were there outbursts of grief. It was just the glistening of her eyes and the contortion of her face due to the pain, which in irony adorned her face like a jewelled ring on a slender, smooth hand of a lady.

"And I waited for you," she continued on. "I still have not let you go, Maxi! I love you still! Please come back to me! I'll make you very happy. I'll give you everything you want."

The girl was now bargaining. And before that, she was trying to instil guilt on him by showing how much he had afflicted her, Maxi thought. In the past, he would have commented how knowledgeable she was at manipulating men. However, oddly still, he found himself affected by her statements and her charm, which was her spell. He found himself wishing to go with this woman even though she was completely unknown to him.

"Maxi!" the girl whispered, startling him. He had been drifting as he analyzed her and debated with himself whether he should consent the girl's almost irresistible request. He contradicted himself, negated himself, supported himself and then reproved himself once more and then the process would start over again. Now, the girl's eyes bore into his, almost hypnotizing him. The battle in his mind was still raging on.

"Maxi," this time, her voice was faint and weak but tender. "Come with me... Please..."

As she spoke to him, her hand reached for his, grasping his, limp on the table. As she did so, he shook startled by the coldness of her hand. He immediately eyed her, drawing clues from her: The pupils of her eyes were not dots like the people afflicted with fear nor was there moisture peeping through her face's skin. The outside environment where she probably was before was not freezing either. He could not figure out the reason for her cold skin. It was like death had come upon her and she is one of those walking dead.

He withdrew his hand. Shu Qian probably noticed his mood shift for she spoke with concern:

"Why Maxi? What is the matter?"

'Whoever she is, best keep my thoughts to myself,' he thought. 'And whoever she is, I don't want any ties with her.'

"Do you remember me now?"

"No. I still don't. Listen, lady, I'm not the guy who you thought was loving and faithful and true as you fantasized. I don't know you. And if I did ever met you, I'd probably still wouldn't know you 'coz you know my type of guy. I'm the one who loves women for play and I change them like I change my own clothes. So shake off all those mushy thoughts about me. For your sake, I hope you mistook me for someone else coz I'm none of those things you said. Best if you leave me be and find a suitable guy for you. And please don't follow me."

He got up unceremoniously and left the lady behind. She was perplexed, that was for sure. She was speechless and surprise painted her face.

'Atleast she isn't crying. Atleast for now,' he thought. 'But there, I gave it to her. No sugar coatings, no flare, no nothing. Just plain facts.'

He hoped she would not follow him, not just because of the guilt he felt in being blunt with her nor the fact that he didn't want to put up with any of her pleas anymore. He could not guess what was wrong with her and it frightened him. Was she one of those malfested which he heard among the gossips of the people he passed by during his journey? They were said to be infected with evil from Soul Edge and became pale and deathly. But she was neither pale nor deathly. Only deathly cold.

As he closed the door behind his room, he remembered that he had left her sitting in her stool, too much in pain to move. He also did not sense her following him as he went to his room. Somehow, he regretted going straight to it after leaving the girl. He should have left the building and waited outside until the three young people returned and then make an escape. He argued with himself reasoning that the girl was just a plain lady. He hoped its truth.

As he sat on his bed, he heard a knock on the door. It must be Xiba and the girls. It was about time they arrived. He got up and opened the door.

To his surprise, there was Shu Qian standing at the doorway, staring deeply into his eyes.

"Shu Qian, I told you to leave me alone. Why did you follow—"

As swiftly as the batting of her eyes, her face moved towards his and kissed him, startling him. His hands immediately grasped her shoulders to push her away but a wave of weakness, tingling and darkness washed over him and nearly drowned him. He staggered backwards.

'What did she do to me?' his mind frantically shrieked but his tongue was paralyzed. He fell on his side, leaning on his arms to keep himself from lying down on his back. He feared what would happen if he gave in to the darkness that tried to swallow him. Eventually, his arms gave way as his eyesight began to dim.

'Who are you?' he wanted to demand of her but he could not. 'What did you do to me?'

The girl knelt before him. Her mouth moved but he could not comprehend what she was saying. There was a tune faintly escaping her lips. He realized that she was singing.

The tune was familiar to him.

It was a chant he heard from Kunpaetku before he killed him.

-0-

Fine

-0-

_Please review. Thanks. _


	3. Forks Along the Road

_July 28, 2012._

_Author's Note: Hi. I'm back again. Again, I'm sorry for the long delay. I've wanted to finish this weeks ago. Here it goes though._

_Disclaimer: I own no one of Soul Calibur's characters. I am merely a fan fiction writer._

_Update (July 30, 2012): There has been a minor revision on the part around when Natsu explained how Arahabaki was sealed on her to make it more seamless. I hope you enjoy the revision!_

_-0-_

**Chapter 3: Forks Along the Road**

The side roads of Zhen Maoyi were like rivers compared to the town's highways which more or less resemble the oceans. Its highways were inhabited by the stalls, shops and other places of merchandise like the coral reefs of the ocean, exhibiting variety in color, sizes and the people residing in them. There were so much bustle and movement among them especially during the day. These highways' beauty was in its diversity, which was its grandiose and majesty. The amount of people that contribute to the commotions and noise were actually the background of the scenery and the accompaniment in music.

On the other hand, the side roads resembled the peaceful Yangtze River. Although no lesser in majesty, its diversity was painted in the ambiance of peace, which was their flavour. One would describe these roads not as just deserted, dull or plain but quiet, peaceful and graceful. In here people would enjoy their stroll without the bumps and shoving of other people and the squeezing through their bodies in order to pass. Here, anybody could go on their own paces and enjoy the view of the sunrise, the heat of the mid-day sun or the rose-colored glow of the sunset.

One of those taking this pleasure was a group of two young ladies and a lad. They were talking quietly among themselves, tired from the excitement of the new town and the stress of cramming through the thick crowd of the main highways. They had enjoyed the experience and the sights of what the busy highway had to offer and having satisfied themselves, they now wanted a peaceful stroll.

The picturesque surroundings: the sunset behind their back, the reddish clouds overhead and the silhouettes of birds in flight, provided the ambiance for them.

"Ahh," Leixia sighed contentedly. "That was tiring but fun."

"Yeah, food was good," Xiba said dreamily.

Both girls looked at him abruptly in a strange manner and continued in their conversation.

"That last stall had really pretty items," Natsu said.

"Yes! I hope we stay here for a few more weeks."

"I hope we stay here for a month."

"I hope we stay here for a year."

Both girls laughed.

"I wish we had lived here," Leixia sighed. "If this is an afterlife, this should be heaven."

"Only if we had enough money to last for eternity," Natsu giggled. "Isn't Beijing, where you live, like this? It's a city anyway while this is only a trading village."

"Beijing is nice but too proper and too city-like. I find it very stiff unlike this place. And it lacked the variety of the goods in this town, too."

"Yeah. Being a town near the border of a country is a good thing. You see things that are very exotic and rare in the common marketplace. The things that are strange become the ordinary. This is really fun."

Leixia chuckled and then smiled. "I so really wish that when we come back from this journey, we would return to this town. This is the most exciting place I've ever been outside of battle... Natsu...?"

Her companion all of a sudden stopped stiff, grey eyes narrowing and searching the surroundings gingerly. Her hands were already poised towards the two daggers strapped on her back. Xiba, who wasn't looking at where he was going, bumped on Natsu's back and was startled.

"Ow! Oh, you hit my belly! Now I'm hungry again!"

"Shh!" she said sternly, not responding with a sarcastic joke as she usually did. Leixia grabbed hold of her friend's wrist and inquired:

"Natsu, what the matter?" Her tone was one of deep worry; she hadn't seen her companion rigid and profoundly anxious before. Natsu released her hold on her weapons and grabbed the wrists of the two, one on each hand, tugging them and then dragging both of them roughly.

"Natsu, what's up?" Leixia called out from behind as she went nearly off-balanced from the violent pull of her companion.

"There's no time to explain!" her eyes were like a prey wary of a predator. "Quick! Come with me! We have to get out of this place!"

"Are we in danger?" Xiba queried.

"Possibly," Leixia answered for Natsu, who was walking ahead of them briskly, too distracted to hear the two behind her. The Chinese girl looked ahead and across, searching every distance they travelled for people that appeared suspicious. None came to her attention.

Suddenly, from an alley way between two houses on their left appeared a huge, fat man leaning on a house and eyeing the three. There were others as big as this man in this town, however, he was exceptionally gigantic: he stood about six feet and eight inches tall while his width was that of three men standing side by side. The robe which he wore nearly tore because of his bulk. Also, he was wearing a peculiar demon mask on his face in the middle of the streets with no festival anytime soon or previously. His hands could easily grab hold any of their heads and squeeze them like someone squeezing a tomato. Leixia gasped when she saw her and called out to Natsu.

"I-I think I saw somebody suspicious and scary."

Her blonde-haired friend took a brief glance at her and followed the direction of her vision. A startled expression followed.

"Act like you didn't see him. Turn away—quick! It's better if he doesn't remember your face!"

"Natsu, who's that fellow?" her voice was quivering by now.

"He's Geki. He used to hunt down Master Taki several years back."

"Is he an old friend?" the Chinese girl asked jokingly in a nervous tone.

Natsu tilted her head briefly before answering. "Yeah. Though not very close. Never had a nice chat with him lately."

"Maybe that was why he was staring at us intently. Because you were ignoring him lately," Xiba remarked innocently.

"Xiba, you're impossible!" Leixia exclaimed.

"Why? What did I do?!"

"Natsu," Leixia turned to her again. "Why are we so afraid of Geki?"

"Because if Geki's here, Maki sure is around here somewhere."

Leixia fell into deep thought for a while and then gasped. "Oh, I see!"

"I thought we were talking about Geki. How did Maki came into the topic?" Xiba commented.

Leixia huffed impatiently as they walked in high speed. "Xiba, quit talking and just walk!"

Natsu turned to their only boy companion briefly and turned towards where they were going. "Just think of Geki as a bear in search of a rabbit while Maki is a more dangerous and very agile dire wolf accompanying the bear and supervising its search for food so that later on, the dire wolf would get the biggest share."

"Oh, food! I think I'd like a rabbit stew!"

The road ahead of them bisected into two directions. Leixia almost turned left towards the route of their inn when Natsu grabbed her hand and dragged her to the opposite road.

"Why aren't we going there? It's the path towards our inn," she protested.

"There are so many people blocking that road."

"Well, all I see are merchants in rich clothes inspecting large crates underneath those drapes."

"Those so-called merchants are actually Fu-Ma ninjas probably sent to capture me. And those large crates are cages to put my sorry self in if that is actually their plot. I recognize some of them. They're really from my clan."

Leixia's lip drooped on one side. "Did they notice us?"

"I hope not."

Xiba glanced back. "I see the merchants running in our direction. I wonder why. Are they affiliated with the food stall where I forgot to pay what I ate?"

Both girls stopped abruptly to turn towards the voices and footsteps of men behind them increasing in volume. They gasped and yelled:

"Run!"

All three scurried away from the group of men who suddenly gave chase to them.

"What did you do to make them so mad at you?" Leixia huffed.

Xiba's eyes sparkled with a thought similar to an inventor finally coming up with an idea for his invention while shouting: "eureka". "Oh, I see now! Natsu, you're the one who actually stole their lunch! You should probably give them back before they catch us and beat us."

Natsu glared at him. "If you don't shut up, Xiba, I'd probably tie you up and leave you to them!"

"Nope, just joking! I knew you were innocent from the start!" Xiba said meekly.

Suddenly, from their right, a broad passage appeared. The blonde-haired warrior steered towards that path, yelling:

"This way!"

The two followed as Natsu led them through various alleys and lanes between the houses, zigzagging through them randomly. Being a trading town, Zhen Maoyi was packed full of warehouses, buildings, houses and stores divided by the alleys in between them. She recklessly chose one and entered through them exiting towards another road. After following the road for a couple or more steps, she would enter another alley. Left and right she went followed by the two, puffing behind her.

"Natsu, this is confusing!" Leixia called. "How would we get back to our inn if we can't find our way back?"

"Right now, that is not our concern!" Natsu answered. "I'd rather be lost and lose them than find my way back and find them again."

As they exited abruptly to another road, they immediately entered another alley and stopped, hiding behind a big cart, suppressing the hissing sound of their harsh breathing. From inside the alley, they saw an estimated number of eleven men going down the bigger road in search for them, never thinking that their prey were in the alley they just passed by. When the last of their footsteps were drowned in silence, Leixia nudged her female friend. Amidst her rapid breathing, she whispered:

"What was that all about? Why are they chasing us?"

Natsu didn't speak but looked straight into her eyes, her face tensed and contorted, a mixture of both fear and the resolve to survive. The fear easily transferred to the younger female.

"Natsu, you're scaring me. Tell me what this is all about. I'm your friend after all."

The blonde-haired girl whispered as well in reply: "You already know that I harbour a demon sealed within me, right?"

"Arahabaki..." Leixia murmured.

"Yes..."

"Are they coming after us because of him?"

"Not us. Just me."

"Tell me why? What are they chasing you for if the demon has already been sealed in you."

"I already told you."

"You only told me that you had Arahabaki in you. And that some tried to kill you because of it. You never told us why or how you had it in you."

"Right now? People are trying to kill us and we are currently in hiding. If they hear us talking, they'd catch us. I know what they're going to do with me. I'm not sure what they're going to do with you and Xiba."

"We're about to die anyway," Leixia reasoned. "I'd rather die knowing something than be dead not knowing anything."

"Oh, Leixia, you're so melodramatic!"

"What's that?"

"Oh, nevermind! You sound more like a poet than a person in a crisis situation."

"So, will you tell me?"

"What? Are you crazy?!"

"Please..." Leixia pleaded, hands clasped together and eyes expressing her begging.

Natsu gave a quiet laugh and turned away, the back of her hand in front of her mouth.

"Tell me everything!"

"Fine. I feel like we're going to be spotted because of you if I never tell. Just don't be too eager and noisy. Well..." Natsu huffed. "here it goes...

My master, Taki, used to say when I was little that when I was born, I was afflicted by a strange disease that caused me to stop crying and later, even breathing. My mother was desperate since I was her only child and my father had left him when he learned that she was pregnant with me. She went to the temple priests and to every physician that could help cure me. They all said I was hopeless. I was dead and my skin and lips were turning blue. As she went towards the shrine to pray and weep for me, a beautiful lady appeared before her and told her to follow her. My mother, thinking that the lady came to help her, immediately did so, carrying me in her arms. She was led to a house deep within a forest. Suddenly, the lady transformed into a demon dressed in a warrior's armor and tried to kill her.

As she lay dying, some warriors from the Fu-Ma ninja clan came and fought the demon. The demon couldn't defeat the pack of warriors trained to hunt down and destroy its kind and so it dove into me and entered me. The moment it did so, my color was restored and I cried. Some of the warriors were about to plunge their swords into me when the headmaster, Chie, who stood among them halted them. She took pity of me and pleaded to them to seal the demon inside me so that it will never manifest in me. That was because the only way to drag the demon out was to kill me. They listened to her and sealed the demon inside of me. She adopted me as her own child. Meanwhile, the whole clan were wary of me because of what was sealed inside me. Some even tried to kill me and almost succeeded if not because of my master, Taki, who took me under her wing and trained me. I grew strong and was able to fend off some of their attempts at my life."

"If the demon is sealed, why are they after you still?" Leixia asked, scrunching her nose.

"I'm not really sure... Maybe they thought the demon could come out anytime and bring destruction to wherever I am when that happens. Or maybe they thought I might unleash its power and use it— I'm just not sure. They did not explain that to me... Leixia, why are you looking at me like that?"

"This is so exciting!"

"You are so strange! You are deluded into thinking that every danger we experience is an adventure. You listen too much of those adventure stories."

"I can't help being excited. Especially since you possess a mysterious special ability because of Arahabaki."

Natsu grimaced. "I told you already: the demon is not some locked power in me—atleast until it's confirmed. Besides, it's dangerous and it is the reason why I live as a survivor everyday. It is also the reason why my clan shunned me and tried to kill me. It would be the reason why they're chasing us, too."

"Whatever you say! I still envy you."

The blonde-haired warrior smiled in a resigned way. "Have your way then."

"We should probably go back now. The men are long gone," Xiba proposed.

"Not yet," Natsu said. "I know them. They are still probably searching for us. They know that we're still in the village and would find us if we come and stroll along the roads. This is safer. Let's wait here for a while more and go back to the inn after dark. Then, we leave with Maxi."

"I hope he's alright. I hope he's not worrying about us," Leixia said anxiously.

"Yeah. But he's probably more worried about what we've been after rather than what was after us."

Both girls laughed quietly.

"What about Geki and Maki?" Leixia continued in her enquiry on her female companion.

"Geki was the right hand of Fu Ma clan's former headmaster, Toki, who was possessed by the evil of Soul Edge and who was defeated and killed by Master Taki years ago. Geki used to hunt my master when she became a nuke-nin, which is a runaway ninja, when she discovered Toki's possession and insanity causing him to make orders on the clan that were unreasonable and suspicious. During Geki's search for my master, he encountered a shard of Soul Edge which he fused into himself because of his lust for power. Around the same time he fused the shard into himself, Maki, another Fu Ma ninja also did the same and they bonded together. From then on, they were said to become controlled by the influence of the sword and became its guardians and protectors. The shard drove them insane but gave them immense power. Geki had the power of incredible strength while Maki had the power to control the wind and make them her blade.

Maki used to be under Geki but after the possession, they seemed to reverse roles. However, they acted as a duo always. I don't understand, though, why they are working with Fu Ma ninjas. Master told me that they never collaborate with others."

"Are you sure that they are only after you?" Leixia asked.

"I am sure of it. If Fu Ma ninjas are involved here, it most likely involves me. They don't even know you both."

"But you said they were guardians of the sword. The sword doesn't even exist, right? –since it was destroyed fifteen years ago. Why would they go and seek you if they are supposed to protect and be guardians of the sword? And why are they in operation when the sword they were to guard is dead?"

"I'm afraid I don't have answers as many as your questions, Leixia. I'm still at a lost as to all these whys. But I sense it. I'm sure of it that they are only after me. I felt those eyes; they were only focused on me."

"I wish Lord Maxi is here with us. I'm sure he would know what to do," Leixia said wistfully as she hugged her knees.

"It's up to us now," Natsu said, face hardened. In crisis, her old instincts of survival resurfaced. She was so familiar of her status as a prey and hunted due to her experience in the Fu Ma village when her other clan members tried to take her life because of Arahabaki sealed inside her. All the training from her master and all her experience in surviving those attempts were coming out of her automatically.

Leixia looked at her and studied her for a while, then smiled.

"What?" Natsu asked.

"Nothing. I wish I am as strong as you in these times."

"You'll soon be. That's for sure."

Xiba tugged at their sleeves persistently. "I really think now that we should go."

Both girls turned to him and followed his forefinger pointing at both exits of the alleys subsequently...

...They were surrounded by their pursuers on both sides...

"Any last words?" said Xiba.

"I wish I had more time for shopping!" Leixia wailed nervously.

"Quit it, Xiba! It's not helping!" Natsu scolded. All three of them drew their weapons: Natsu, her dual short blades; Leixia, a mid-sized Chinese sword; and Xiba, his bo staff.

There were three men dressed in civilian clothing from both sides of the three youngsters. It was easy to mistake them as foreign merchants except now, they wore fierce expressions on their faces and had swords drawn on their hands. As one they charged towards the three youth.

"Just keep your focus!" Natsu yelled as she faced one side while the other two faced another direction. She raised her blades in time to receive two of her three attackers' swords and she braced for the impact. It took all her strength to prevent her from stumbling. She felt her feet sliding on the floor as the two pushed at her. Suddenly, the third attacker came in between the first two.

-0-

Leixia ducked low as her sole attacker swiped a horizontal high on her. With a yell, she thrust high towards his head but was evaded. They duelled each other, swords clanging with a rhythmic regularity, like the music of drums and cymbals. Beside her, Xiba fended off two attackers simultaneously. The length of his bo staff was a great advantage because it enabled him to defend and strike at the same time, confusing his attackers. He leapt and evaded a low strike towards his knee and punished his attacker with a swipe at the head as he landed down. The attacker fell down unconscious.

Xiba parried another vertical strike and thrust his staff towards the enemy's abdomen causing him to double over. While the foe was staggering, Xiba took a quick glance behind and saw Natsu struggling to keep the swords of two of her enemies at bay while another was about to slice her in half. Dragging his staff, he sprinted towards Natsu's direction, leapt high and thrust his staff right above her head onto the face of her third attacker who toppled backwards into unconsciousness.

Natsu gasped with surprise at the unexpected rescue. "Thanks, Xiba," she strained. "I owe you one."

With that, she spun and released one of her sword from its engagement with another's and thrust it towards the other's neck. In another quick motion, she was about to jab her other blade towards her last attacker when Xiba got him first and whacked him on the head. The last of the attackers on this side was taken care off.

-0-

"Care to help, anyone of you guys?" Leixia called as she stepped back, one foot at a time trying to evade two attackers that was left to her.

Xiba was about to run to her aide when Natsu blocked his way with her arm.

"You've done me two favors already. Let me have this one," Natsu said. She flipped one of her blades and grabbed the tip of its pointed end and threw it to one of Leixia's attackers who received it on his chest. Natsu ran to retrieve her sword.

The last of their enemy was stunned by the attack on his ally for a moment but regained his composure a second later, attacking Leixia with a vertical strike. Leixia deflected the blade away and thrust it to his abdomen.

The last of their enemies slumped on the ground with a moan.

"Woohoo!" Leixia yelled as she danced a victory dance. "We've defeated them all, six against three. Isn't that something?! Oh, yeah!"

"Hush, Leixia! Your yelling would draw them here—!" Natsu tried to warn her.

Too late...

They all fell into silence with the sound of boom, boom, booming nearby that was getting louder. The ground shook with each of footstep. On one of the exits of the alleys, a gigantic man with a demon mask appeared. He carried two large clubs on each hand. He roared incomprehensibly as he waved his clubs in a swords dance.

"Th-that's Geki?" Leixia said nervously.

"Yup. Big isn't he?"

The moment Geki stopped his swords dance, he began to step forward towards the direction of the three and picked up his pace. In no time, he was running full speed!

"Run!" Xiba yelled. The other two didn't need to be told and was running ahead of him to the other alley exit. As they were nearly out of the alley, a young female suddenly appeared at its mouth with a bo staff and produced a downward strike. Xiba was there to meet it as he raised his own staff horizontally in time with her strike.

"That's Maki!" Natsu exclaimed. Xiba showed no fear as he maintained his staff defensively as they pushed each other with their weapons.

"What happened to her right leg?" Leixia exclaimed as she saw the ash-blonde female warrior attack Xiba. The leg was mutated like that of a giant reptile with two spiky bones protruding on her knees.

"It's the transformation as a result with her contact with the shard," Natsu explained.

Behind them, the ogre-like Geki had stopped and stood near them. They were already pinned on both sides.

"You like it, girl?" Maki sneered. "It enables me to run faster so that I could catch you and break your tiny little bones into a hundred bits!"

She then attacked Xiba with a flurry of attacks, thrusting and swiping her staff onto him. He evaded them and blocked them expertly as he sidestepped and spun, moving his staff in anticipation of her moves. With a quick step forward, she launched herself towards Xiba and planted her mutated foot onto his chest and kicked him with some force that he skidded backwards. She backdived and landed on one knee a good distance from them. She then waved her staff towards the three youngsters and produced three human sized twisters that whirled their way towards them.

The two girls braced for impact while Xiba ran in front of them and whirled his staff in front of him like a spinning rotor. He planted his feet on the ground in a wide stance as he prepared for the impact.

The three small cyclones dissipated as it struck Xiba's spinning staff.

Behind the three, Geki began to roar and thump his feet, one after the other.

"Now what?" Leixia exclaimed anxiously.

"It's getting too crowded! I have to draw them away! I'll meet you later," said Natsu as she gave Leixia a quick hug.

"What? You're leaving us?! But you promised to be like a bodyguard to me!"

"I'll make it up later," the blonde-haired warrior answered as she charged towards Geki who lifted one of his clubs high and smashed it towards Natsu. She sidestepped nimbly and ran along his massive arm that was down the ground due to his strike. Upon reaching his shoulders, she jumped and landed on the roof of a house next to Geki. She disappeared in an instant.

"Natsu!" called Leixia. "Come back!"

"Tsk! Catch him," Maki ordered the beast-like Geki. She also leapt high and landed on the roof and disappeared as well. The ogre-like warrior turned around and exited the alley and ran towards the direction where Natsu disappeared. Soon, several Fu Ma warriors were passing by the alley towards her direction and some on the roof hopped from one to another, ignoring Xiba and Leixia.

Xiba thrust his staff on the ground in a frustrated manner. "What?! You're all gonna ignore us? You think we're not good enough for you?"

Suddenly, four Fu Ma warriors, which came from above, landed in ahead of them. Xiba jolted in surprise at their sudden appearance, never expecting them. He bit his lip at his blunder.

"Tsk! Xiba, what did we tell you earlier?!" Leixia glared at him in annoyance.

"I must shut up," he answered with conviction.

The four ninjas charged at them with incredible speed.

"Okay! I think I'm hungry again! I think I'd rather like STEAMED BUNS!" Xiba yelled as he sidestepped the blade of one and spinning around, he struck the other on the leg causing him to fall on his side. Xiba finished him with a downward strike.

Leixia took a quick step back as one of her opponents lunged at her and struck. She dashed forward, slid to his side and slammed the flat of her blade onto him, one hand on the hilt while the other palm on the flat side of the body of her blade. Her opponent hit the wall beside him, crumpled and fell down. She received another vertical strike from the other foe. She evaded it and did a heel kick which landed on his face.

Xiba finished his last opponent with his staff strangulating his neck who choked and dropped to the ground after a few minutes.

The staff warrior wiped the sweat on his forehead with his forearm and leaned on the wall of the house as he panted. Leixia was sitting on the ground, back also towards the wall of the house. Both were exhausted from the suspense of the events that transpired.

"Let's not do it again," Xiba said wearily.

Leixia suddenly remembered her friend and stood up quickly. "Oh no! Natsu!"

She ran towards one of the alley exits yelling her friend's name. She came out into a broad road.

All was quiet.

She listened as she steadied her breathing. All she heard were the sounds of crickets and the wind blowing along the road, making the windows of the houses tremor with it.

"Natsu! Natsu, where are you?" she yelled with both hands cupped in front of her mouth. "Natsu!"

Xiba also came beside her yelling: "Natsu come out, please! I was really joking! I know you're really innocent! I'm sorry! Stop being mad at me!"

Leixia frowned at him and sniffed. She quickly wiped away some tears building on her eyes and then punched him in the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?"

He didn't hear her response for she was already storming away from him.

-0-

_Author's Note: There! A cliffhanger, I guess. Btw, Geki and Maki came from Soul Calibur Legends. Don't worry though. There are more characters to appear in the story that are in the main canon. I just don't want to spoil the story to you by revealing them. They will come with each chapter._


	4. Night Time Peril

_Author's Note: Hi, sorry that it took a month before this post. Too many things that distracted me and got me busy. But here it is. After this chapter, I'm going to introduce another character._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Calibur or their characters. I'm just merely a fan fiction writer, writing out of pure passion and enjoyment. Enjoy!_

**Chapter 4: Night Time Peril**

As the final glimpse of the sun dipped down the horizon and its substitute, the moon, came in place, a lone pair of footsteps was heard trudging down the trail in the middle of a forest. The footsteps were heavy; either because the person whose sounds they belonged to was heavy or else it was someone carrying a heavy object that summated to the mass. As the darkness revealed the silhouette of the approaching figure, it was revealed to be the latter. Speckled by the light that the half moon above shone, a woman of medium-size marched heavily along the loamy forest floor carrying a man larger than her on her shoulders. And peculiar it even seemed to become was the fact that she had been carrying the man for hours with her showing no signs of fatigue.

She sung a sad tune, almost like a dirge or a chant for the dying. She reeked with the aura of death and every wild animal that sensed her presence scampered away. It was very quiet except for her dreary song.

The man on her shoulder drifted from wakefulness to slumber and he could not keep himself awake for so long. Everything about him felt heavy: his limbs, his neck, and his head. His chest felt like there was a huge rock over it, compressing it and smothering his breathing.

As Maxi's eyes weakly opened for a few seconds, he saw glimpses of the trail he was being carried on. Mostly, he saw the back of his captor but he saw upside down images of his surroundings: the deserted forest trees, the dim moonlight that shot through the slits provided by the tree leaves, the ground that appeared black and almost impossible to see in this small amount of light.

Where was he? What happened? And slowly, with eyes heavy with somnolence, everything faded into black once again.

-0-

Along the darkness of the alleys, the soft quick padding of footsteps resounded. There was barely anything to see and should there be obstacles in the way, anybody would have stumbled. With the eyes adjusted to the blackness of the path ahead, it was the only way that Natsu kept going on.

And then, there was a strip of light ahead growing in size with each step. The light drew ever closer to her until it engulfed her, exposing her red tights and trousers that clung to her thighs and legs. Her blonde hair tied into nine tails was a fluster of chaos with many strands going awry. She stopped to look behind her briefly and then her eyes widened.

She could hear whooshing sounds closing on her rapidly as three four-pointed shurikens spun her way. She leapt quickly to the side, evading them as they shot past above her. As she landed, three small cyclones whirled her way. She sprinted away from them and then ran along the walls of the house and jumped from the wall out of their way. She landed with a roll next to an adjacent house.

There was a heavy thud next to her and a big towering figure cast a shadow on her like an eclipse. Natsu looked up and saw the beast-like face of Geki breathing down on her. She froze for a moment as his big silhouette filled her with intimidation. He raised both hands possessing thick deadly clubs on them in the air and prepared to strike her down hard.

Her noisy breathing was the only thing audible to her as she saw his weapon descended on her slowly. Never thinking, her legs moved her out of the way and leapt away at the last second.

Boom!

A cloud of debris and dust quickly shrouded Geki and then disappeared. Natsu was nowhere to be seen. He looked around to find any traces of her but it seemed that the night had swallowed her form. Geki uttered a throaty rumble through his throat in frustration. He lumbered along the street looking about for his prey.

In the shadow of the alley in between two houses nearby, Natsu sat leaning on the wall panting heavily, her face buried on her knees. Her legs had given way from the exhaustion of running for hours while dodging and escaping from those who sought her life. She can feel them trembling in weakness and sluggishly responsive to the movements she desired. She had used up the last of her strength when she dodged Geki's strike and nimbly ran to this alley the moment he was enshrouded with dust.

There was no more she could give should her pursuers find her and the need to flee arose again. As she felt her breathing calming down, she tried to stand but dropped to her knee and fell on her side.

She couldn't even stand up.

Suddenly, a wave of drowsiness tried to engulf her but she fought. Again and resisting it became harder. And again—the dimness of her eyes winning over her this time.

-0-

"Hey, wait up!" Xiba called from behind her as houses after houses were passed by quickly as he walked as fast as his legs could carry him. He was almost running as he tried to catch up with Leixia who was furiously marching ahead of him. The street where they were on was thinning with people who passed by. Perhaps it was because most people were in their houses preparing for their dinner.

They were late for their curfew and it was the main thought running in Xiba's mind.

"You know, if I were you, I would be walking very slowly now," he called from behind her. "He is going to kill us for being late."

When she didn't respond but continued in her brisk walk, he called to her again. "Aren't you afraid he'd yell at us when we've arrived—?"

Leixia stopped abruptly and stared at him, eyes nearly watering. She quickly interrupted him with a voice trembling with emotion. "Natsu is in trouble and all you can think of is being yelled at? We need his help because we can't beat those guys chasing after us. We need him or she'll... she'll..."

She stopped as she wiped the tears forming in her eyes and starting to roll down her cheek. She blinked hard.

"Let's just go," she said after a heavy sigh, voice firmer than before, and resumed her quick steps. At the next turn of the street, they arrived at the entrance of the inn they were staying. She pushed open the door and ran inside, passing through the deserted pub with the keeper staring at her. She ran as she climbed upstairs to their rooms. She arrived in front of Xiba and Maxi's room and without knocking, she came inside with the words running in her mind about to spill—

And there was no one inside.

For a moment, her breathing was the only thing disturbing the silence of the room. Her eyes surveyed the place from left to right. It was just the way she had left it, only gravely silent and uncomfortably empty. There was a lamp burning on the table by the window giving a dim but warm light that usually eased her. Right now, it didn't give her the same effect. It only increased the agonizing bareness of the place because of the missing presence.

Where was he?

She stepped further inside the room and called: "Lord Maxi! Lord Maxi!"

Her voice hollowly rang in its quietness. She remembered how Natsu teased her for referring to him reverently. She never lost her high regards and admiration of him despite it. She saw him more than as a surrogate father and friend. She trusted him so much and felt comfortable and secure around him. Now, she missed him immensely.

There were footsteps outside that drew closer causing her heart to leap with excitement. She rushed to the door exclaiming: "Lord Maxi—"

And then, she nearly bumped with Xiba.

"Where is he?" she asked anxiously.

"I don't know," he answered. "You came before I did. He wasn't outside either when we passed by the pub."

"Did he tell you where he was planning to go?"

"No—"

"Did he say he would follow us at the marketplace?"

"No—"

"Maybe he's at the pub. We should look for him there."

"I told you already, I didn't see him there. It was just the innkeeper there. If you want we could ask him—" Xiba wasn't able to finish what he was saying as Leixia immediately took off past him, her steps boisterously padding on the stairway.

Xiba sighed and walked on after her. When he arrived at the pub, he could hear Leixia pleading with the innkeeper and asking him persistently.

"Are you sure he didn't say anything when he left?"

"No missy," he explained to the young lady patiently. "I told you I never saw him leave."

"Did he tell you when he was coming back?"

"I'm afraid no. He must have left without a word—"

"Where do you think he was going?"

"I don't know. He didn't say anything to me, I didn't even notice him leave," the innkeeper scratched his chin as he looked at Xiba who had just arrived and then stared back at the young lady. "Look missy, wherever he had gone, I'm sure he's coming back. He seemed not the type to desert you. He was waiting for you. About late in the afternoon, he sat there by the window anticipating your return. He seemed anxious for you like a good parent. A lady approached him trying to get him to leave with her but he just brushed her off."

Leixia let out a sigh of frustration. Where did he go? Why did he left without saying a word? Her eyes shakily shifted left and right. Xiba approached them and came at the counter where the innkeeper was behind.

"Do you know the lady who was with him? Can you describe how she looked like?" he queried.

"Never knew her, I haven't seen her around. She seemed to know him and pleaded with him like a past lover. That's what I observed. She's very beautiful, like a deity, you know. Red coat, long black hair, perfect face. You know the kind—" he stopped as he remembered that he was speaking with youngsters. He didn't wish to mire their innocence. He cleared his throat.

"He just left her like that and went back to his room. She stood there like a hollow woman, all by herself. I believe he did that for you," he said emphasizing the last sentence to Leixia.

"Did she follow him to his room?" Xiba asked again.

"That I don't know. I went inside for a while to get some things in the stock room. When I came back, she was not there anymore. And I never noticed him going out either."

Picking up after Xiba's questions, Leixia asked: "Is there anyone who we could ask that was here during that time?"

The innkeeper squinted, his small eyes becoming like thin lines of ink painted in his round, bearded face as he tried to recall. "There were some people, about three of them that were here at that time. But I can't tell you their names or their room number. Customer's privacy you know. Don't want to make my clients angry and lose them if they are intruded. Best leave them alone."

"But this is very urgent. We have to find him quickly," Leixia pleaded. She perked up as if remembering something. She took her purse and fished about twenty pieces of silver and placed it on the counter. "Here, take these. I could give you more if you want. My father works at the palace. We have plenty to give if you needed more. Just please tell us."

The innkeeper smiled and shook his head. "I'm not accepting that from you youngsters. I just can't. It's like robbing children. I'll give you their names, rooms and descriptions as you wanted, only don't disturb them tonight because it is late. Wait until morning if you still want to question them if your father hasn't returned tomorrow."

He jotted down their names on a piece of paper and gave them to her. Leixia thanked her with a bow and went upstairs with Xiba. Upon entering their room, Leixia grabbed hold of Xiba's wrist, pulled him inside and shut the door behind them. She dragged him to the table beside the window, far from the door.

"There are four names here. It will be faster if we split up, two each of us. You ask these two while I'll ask the rest," Leixia explained while she traced her index finger on the paper.

"But the innkeeper said wait until morning so that we don't disturb them. They could be sleeping by now," he protested.

"We can't wait that long. Natsu is in danger and the more we prolong this, the more bad things that could happen to her. We need his help as soon as possible."

"But the innkeeper—"

"But what about Natsu!" Leixia yelled, her face sharp and hard as she stared back at his boyish and innocent face. "Time is running as we speak. Come on, let's start asking them."

She dragged him again to the door and pulled it open. As she was about to exit the door, there was the tall figure of the innkeeper facing her. She jolted and gasped as she startled with the unexpected presence.

He smiled at her a sad smile. "I figured you would do this despite what I told you but I'm afraid you really can't. I can't risk you ruining my business. They pay me for their rooms and privacy. I agreed with you with speaking with them tomorrow morning but you still insist on doing it tonight. If you continue to do this, I have to kick you out of the inn. It seems heartless that I would send you off late at night but, hey, we have rules. Both of us have an agreement as patron and client."

"You don't understand. Our friend is in danger and he's the only one that could help her. We need to find him as soon as possible."

"You should call the town's guards instead if somebody is threatening your friend."

"The guards can't handle them."

"And your father can alone?"

"Yes, Lord Maxi can," Leixia said firmly. "And he's not our father. He's a good friend who can help us."

The innkeeper again shook his head. These youngsters, though he pitied them, was trying his patience. It took all his efforts to remain calm in front of them.

"I can't say I'm buying your story but I really want to help you, though not in this way. I really can't let you do this."

"But Natsu is in grave danger," she said emphatically.

"No."

Leixia frowned and looked about desperately, trying to find some words to counter the man who opposed her. She stared hard at the innkeeper and said:

"Then I'll go. I'll find her myself."

"What?! I can't let you. You youngsters can't go off alone at this hour. This place ain't safe. What if some bandits or thugs get you? What would you do? I can't let you do that."

"Since nobody can help her, I'll go. Since you won't let us find Lord Maxi, I'll go after her without him."

"No, you can't. Just stay in your room. If he returns and asks me where you've been, what would I tell him? That I let you go to face bandits and thugs? I can't let you two risk your lives. You're just too young. Wait for his return."

She started to run but the innkeeper grabbed hold of her wrist and stuck his hand on it firmly despite her squirming and protests. He also took Xiba by the arm with his other hand and dragged them inside their room. He stood at the entrance, blocking their way out as he held the door.

"You have to stay here in the meantime. I know you will try to escape so I have to lock the door from outside. I'll open it the moment Maxi arrives. This is just to keep you safe."

He closed the door and locked it with a key from outside. The door was built so that it can be locked inside and outside with the key. Leixia ran towards it as he pulled it shut but was too late. She turned the knob over and over again but it won't budge. She pounded her fists on the door, calling: "Let us out! Let us out!"

After several minutes of trying with no effect, she ran towards the window and tried to open it, however, it was firmly shut as well. She slapped her hand on the wall beside the window in frustration.

"What do should we do? What should we do?" she said over and over again. "Where is he? We need him. Natsu needs him."

She looked hard at Xiba, tears spilling in her cheeks. He gave him a helpless look and shook his head. She frowned at him and dove onto the bed, burying her face on a pillow and sobbing violently. Xiba sat on his own bed, hesitant to approach the crying girl, not knowing what to say.

"He took away my key," he said uncertainly. Then he heard the low rumbling from his belly and sighed helplessly. He rubbed it and murmured, "This is bad. I'm hungry."

-0-

Natsu's eyes snapped wide open as she lay on her side. She gazed around in disorientation initially and then remembered everything that happened. She quickly got up but her knees nearly buckled and gave way that she leaned to the nearby wall. She felt her strength drained out of her legs and exhaustion wrapped around her whole body. She hoped that they were gone. They were relentless and hunted her like a pack of wolves.

How long had she been asleep? She looked up the sky and saw the round face of the moon, shrouded by a few clouds that obstructed its view down below. There was no way to tell the time. This part of the town was deserted and seemingly so for a long time. There was no way to tell if the people were asleep as a reason why the closed windows were dark inside and there was nobody travelling down the streets at this hour.

What happened to Leixia and Xiba? Were they able to escape? She hoped they made it back to their inn. With both Maki and Geki at her tail, only the regular Fu Ma ninja's would probably linger to fight them—probably only a handful of them. She was confident that they would not lose to them.

It was probably time to go back. Slowly, she made each step, ascertaining each of them won't make her stumble. She acclimated with her tired legs and was able to walk them despite their weariness. She reappeared from the alley to a dark, deserted street. Atleast, the full moon, occasionally free from the passing clouds' obstruction, gave her some view of the path ahead of her. She walked slowly but steadily, going towards the general direction of the inn they were staying.

Behind her, on one of the rooftops, stood a silhouette of a female holding a staff in her hand. Her yellow eyes glinted in the moonlight as a smile formed on her lips.

As Natsu walked along, she could sense something wrong in the air. Something evil nearby. Her eyes roamed from side to side as she kept her peripheral and rear senses heightened. There was someone nearby watching her.

Suddenly, a continuous whirling sound erupted from behind her to the left, approaching her obliquely. She whirled around, pulled her dagger from a scabbard behind her and swiped it diagonally.

Pang!

The sound of metal clashing against metal rang on her ears as she deflected the attack. The four pointed shuriken dropped harmlessly on the ground.

And then, there were three more coming her way. This time, it was impossible to deflect them. She performed a cartwheel to her side and avoided them. Suddenly, there were a dozen more coming her way! She dashed towards a nearby alley to avoid them all and hide from more projectiles that her unseen attackers would send her.

The moment she entered the alley, a figure of a woman dropped in front of her, face close to hers, with yellow, cat-like eyes staring back at hers.

"Hello, prey!" she said with a smile, revealing the fangs that formed on her white teeth. Natsu gasped with the surprise appearance of her feared enemy: Maki. She backed a few steps and then, being released from her panicked state, she drew both daggers from both back scabbards and slashed them from both sides, aiming at her neck.

Maki ducked and sent her a kick straight to her belly with her monstrous, lizard-like foot in one smooth motion. Natsu flew with the impact and was sent skidding backwards. She rolled a few times. With a deep breath, she rose on one knee as she clutched her aching abdomen.

Maki leapt and landed in front of her, her staff raised up to the air, ready to slam a powerful vertical strike on her. Natsu immediately grabbed both weapons dropped on the ground and held them above her, crisscrossing each other, and a sharp clang of metals resounded. She tightened her grip on both weapons as she countered the downward push of the staff on her.

"You will die! Grrrraaa!" Maki yelled, uttering a guttural sound as she increased the force of her push. The staff descended quickly and Natsu felt herself slanting backwards, down to the ground.

The staff was pulled up from her blades and then raised up to the air to strike her down again. This time, she won't be able to resist the strike!

Quickly, Natsu bowed her head and glowed for a moment before disappearing from her place and reappearing in the air behind Maki. Natsu performed a somersault as she was suspended above the ground and readied to slam her legs on her opponent as she dropped.

Maki let out a frustrated groan as her staff missed her enemy. There was a disturbance in the air behind her and she whirled around, seeing her foe descending on her with her attack. Quickly, she jumped backward and evaded the strike.

The dual blade-wielding warrior landed with her back to her opponent but quickly spun around and hopped towards her and slashed both weapons, aiming at Maki's legs. She avoided the strike as she leapt from her place and up on the roof of a house behind her.

From above the roof, Maki sneered at her, "Fancy moves from one possessing the demon, Arahabaki! I see his powers had grown so much on you. That's why you should be destroyed!"

Natsu was about to pursue her on the roof when four Fu Ma ninjas came from all sides with the two in front obstructing her path to her female foe. As one, they attacked the girl at the center with their blades. Natsu dropped to the ground and sent a full circular sweeping kick around her, sending them all falling on their backs. She leapt and plunged both blades on the chests of two on the ground simultaneously. Then, she dashed towards the other two, now on their feet and preparing to attack her.

She swiped her blade diagonally, deflecting one of the ninja's attack and advanced as she kick the back of his knee from behind causing him to fall on his knee. She slashed him obliquely on the back and whirled around towards the other ninja who was also preparing a strike for her. Her blade got to him first before he could make his move and he found it buried deep into his abdomen. He, too, crumpled to the ground with a groan.

Maki landed a distance behind her.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Not so fast, pawn of Arahabaki! They're not yet dead. They can't be killed just like that because all of them are malfested," she waved her staff horizontally in front of her in demonstration. "See for yourself!"

As one, all four ninjas rose from the ground, the bleeding from the wounds inflicted upon them seemingly stopped. Natsu gasped as she found herself surrounded by the foes she thought she had defeated. She gritted her teeth as she stared hard on Maki.

"You're so evil!" she said, hot with anger. "You've corrupted our clan!"

"You could not have said a compliment as sweeter than that, my girl!" Maki grinned.

Natsu dashed towards her as two of the Fu Ma ninjas appeared in front of her. She somersaulted over them and dashed and leapt towards her female opponent aiming both of her blades at her. Maki spun and sidestepped, evading the strike and sending her staff at Natsu as she whirled.

They exchanged strikes as both sent violent blows, blocked and evaded altogether. Both were evenly matched with each other.

The dual blade-wielder somersaulted back as she sensed two attackers behind her about to strike, dodging them. Another wave of two ninjas approached her from behind and she ducked both of their horizontal strikes as she turned to them.

In between them, Maki dashed towards her, bellowing: "You're more useful dead than alive!"

Natsu raised her blade in defense, anticipating a blow from her staff but was surprised as a painful kick landed on her chest causing her to be thrown back. She stood once again panting as two ninjas dashed towards her.

She parried and struck.

And parried and struck.

Both ninjas collapsed again. Knowing that they were not dead yet, she advance towards two more approaching her so that she won't be caught in between the reviving foes.

'This is going to be a never ending cycle,' she thought anxiously. 'No matter how many times I strike those malfested ninjas, they will rise up again. I have to finish Maki fast or I'll run out of strength. I can't hold this any longer!"

As the ninjas came in front of her, she repeated her maneuver:

She parried and struck.

And parried and—

Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted on her back as she felt herself struck by Maki's staff. She toppled on her face. She felt her air squeezed out of her lungs as she hit the ground. However, there was no time to nurse her pain and suffering as she sensed another in coming attack from behind her and whirled around, swiping her weapon.

Again, the familiar clanging of her weapon against another blade as she blocked the strike. She grew tired of it as the battle progressed on. She wished she could lie down and wake up and this nightmare would be gone from her. She wished that all of these were nothing more than bad dream that would be forgotten as the morning went on and the daily tasks and chores occupied her mind.

She entwined her leg onto the ninja's foot and rolled sideways. The ninja fell on his side. Taking the opportunity, she struck again with her blade.

Suddenly, a flash of pain erupted on her shoulder as she felt the warmth of her blood trickling down her back.

"Aaaahhh!" she screamed as she struggled to remain upright on one knee, tears forming in her eyes.

"Arrrgh!" again she yelled as she felt the blade pulled out of her flesh. Again pain flared on her legs as Maki swept her staff on Natsu's legs sending her on the ground. Using the tip of her sandal to move Natsu's failing body to a supine position, she nudged her violently. She planted her deformed foot on the downed girl's chest.

Natsu looked up to her foe gaining triumph over her as her vision started to blur. Her breathing grew faster but shallower as each breath drew pain on her back and shoulder.

"Your power poses a threat to ours. Your dead body would be a wonderful gift to Master Toki. And your friends, too. I'm surprised by the strength they showed as they fought us. They would make excellent extras when we present you to him! Once all of you are malfested, you shall join us and we shall be undefeatable!"

Lifting the staff above her on both hands, the metal tip glinted in the moonlight as Maki prepared for her finishing blow.

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_To be continued..._

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_A/N: What would happen to Natsu? I'm sure all of you have something in mind. Tell me what you think and I shall give you credit in my next chapter if you are correct. Please read and review. __J_


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